Iran warns of imminent missile attack on Israel: White House responds
A high-ranking White House official warned on Tuesday that Iran is preparing to launch an attack using ballistic missiles against Israel. This information was reported by American media, citing sources within the U.S. administration. If this happens, Tehran will face "serious consequences."
Cited by agencies such as AP, the official referred to American intelligence information and said that the USA is "actively supporting" Israel's preparations to defend against an Iranian attack.
- An Iranian attack using ballistic missiles could be conducted on a scale as large or larger than the extensive air raid on Israel carried out by Iran in April - an anonymous U.S. official, quoted by Reuters, reported. This person cautioned that this assessment is based on preliminary data.
Decisive hours
American officials and military personnel expect that Iran will launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel within the next 12 hours - reported the "New York Times".
According to the "NYT", the targets of the planned Iranian attack are expected to be three Israeli Air Force bases and the intelligence headquarters located north of Tel Aviv, which was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon. The newspaper cites three sources within the Israeli security apparatus.
Strike on Israel
Iran launched its first direct attack using hundreds of rockets and drones in April and threatened another following Israel's assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran, but ultimately it did not occur. The new attack would be in response to Israel's attacks on the Iran-supported Lebanese Hezbollah, including the killing of its leader, as well as the entry of Israeli forces into border regions of Lebanon.
So far, neither Iran nor Iranian media have confirmed signals of an impending attack. The April bombardment of Israel proved largely ineffective as the overwhelming majority of missiles were intercepted by the forces of Israel, the USA, France, and the UK.
Escalation in the Middle East
Even before the current escalation, the USA sent additional fighter jets to the Middle East, and a carrier strike group including the USS Abraham Lincoln and other ships are stationed in the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the Pentagon announced on Sunday that it placed additional forces on heightened readiness for deployment to the region.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari conveyed that the USA had warned Israel that Iran intends to launch missiles at the Jewish state. He added that the military has not yet detected any aerial threat from Iran. He recommended the population comply with civil defence advisories. On Tuesday, the alert level was raised in central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and associated restrictions were implemented.
A million residents of Lebanon are fleeing bombardments to the north of the country. The PCPM Foundation is providing aid - ensuring food, water, mattresses, and blankets. Urgent support is needed, as the number of fleeing families continues to grow: pcpm.org.pl/liban
